MEMPHIS, Tenn. — San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama returned Tuesday after sitting out the past two games because of a bone bruise in his left knee and scored a game-high 30 points off the bench in a 106-105 loss to the Memphis Grizzles.
The performance marked Wembanyama’s first career 30-point game as a reserve, according to ESPN Research.
“The fact is we play down to the level of the opponent,” Wembanyama said. “The good thing is we can match up with anybody and look everybody in the eyes. But the bad thing is we look everybody in the eyes, and sometimes we should just put people away. Most of the time, we execute well. But we don’t finish plays [and] possessions. We just keep people in the games.”
The Spurs handled Wembanyama’s return similarly to how they brought him back earlier this season from a left calf strain that sidelined him for 12 games. San Antonio brought him off the bench and limited his minutes.
Wembanyama left the game after playing 21 minutes and watched from the bench over the last 3:46, a span that featured five lead changes between the teams.
“[It was] very hard,” Wembanyama said. “I’ve got to trust the process, got to trust my staff. Basketball, it’s a team thing. We have to trust each other but at the same time hold each other accountable.”
Wembanyama will be listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers, according to a source. He’s expected to play against the Lakers if he comes out of Tuesday’s game in good health without any residual soreness.
Wembanyama sustained the knee injury in a New Year’s Eve loss to the New York Knicks while battling under the basket to secure a rebound in between Karl-Anthony Towns and Jordan Clarkson. Upon landing on the court, Wembanyama immediately grabbed his left knee and winced in pain as teammate Stephon Castle stepped in to help him up.
Wembanyama sat out the rest of the game, and an MRI the next day showed that the center did not sustain any ligament damage to the knee he hyperextended. Wembanyama has now missed 14 games because of injuries and can sit out only four more before he loses eligibility for postseason awards.
Before the game, coach Mitch Johnson was asked whether the league’s 65-game rule has ever been a consideration as Wembanyama pushed from behind the scenes to return.
“There’s a lot of variables that are in the mix, right?” Johnson said. “That’s one of them. I don’t know what the word is. I think it’s ‘real.’ I think Victor being [22] is real. I think this team being at the early part of its journey is real. I think the success we’ve had, whether it was expected or not, is real.
“So, yes. What is the priority of all of that? I do know his long-term health and making sure we keep that kid from himself in terms of his competitiveness. We want him to be healthy for years, not for just trying to win the next couple of games. I do know that. All the other stuff, I think it’s real. I just don’t know where it all falls. That’s why we continuously have these conversations, and we don’t put anything in stone.”
Wembanyama, meanwhile, admitted he also thinks about the 65-game threshold.
“I pay attention,” he said. “But [the medical team] tries to let it be as small a factor as possible because as health professionals, it’s not something you’re supposed to do.”
